THE SEARCH TO IDENTIFY THE SCIENTISTS IN THIS RARE ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPH

THE SEARCH TO IDENTIFY THE SCIENTISTS

IN THIS

RARE ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPH

Then:

The year was 1968; a galaxy of Who’s Who of Indian Science had assembled in Ahmedabad to celebrate the 80^th Birthday of Nobel Laureate C V Raman. As was the norm, there was a group photograph to mark the occasion.

Now:

It’s June 2020, I receive an email for Prof Irishi N N Namboothiri, Professor, Department of Chemsistry, IIT Mumbai, attaching “an archival photograph”, probably sent to me, since I might be interested, having been associated with the Archives and Publications Cell at the Indian Institute of Science, IISc, Bangalore.

Alas, there were no details about ‘The Photograph’, but I could identify a few of the legends in the pic, Prof Vikram Sarabhai, Nobel Laureate C V Raman, Ms. Anna Mani (the lone woman scientist in the photograph), Prof. Raja Ramanna. Prof S Ramaseshan. Prof G N Ramachandran.

First stop, Prof P Balaram, former Director, IISc, now DST Professor of the Year at NCBS, Bangalore. I emailed “The Photograph” to him and bingo came the reply, he was able to identify, Prof C N R Rao, Prof. M G K Menon and Prof. M S Swaminathan. He did also mention that with Vikram Sarabhai and C V Raman in the pic, the photograph might have been taken in Ahmedabad, probably an Indian Academy of Sciences meeting and that it might be 1968 vintage.

  

(Credit for the above photograph goes to Prof J Srinivasan, Divecha Center for Climate Change, IISc, who provided the link to a Slideshare PPT where I found this image).                           

Prof Balaram suggested that, Mr. Madhavan at the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore might be able to help in identifying the scientists in the pic, and “The Photograph” went to him.

In the meanwhile, I contacted Prof J Srinivasan, Divecha Center for Climate Change, IISc and Prof E Arunan, Chairman, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, IISc and Prof Gautam Desiraju and Prof S Natrajan, Solid State Structural Chemistry Unit, IISc and Prof Ananthasuresh, Chairman, Mechanical Engineering Department, IISc. Their enthusiasm and inputs have been invaluable.

As I write this blog, Prof Madhavan has just emailed me; he has been able to identify almost all the legends that were present on the occasion when “The Photograph”, was taken.

      

(Thanks to Mr. Madhavan, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore and to Prof P Balaram, NCBS, who helped in identifying the scientists in the above photograph).

Sitting (L-R): R Ananthakrishnan, NR Tawde, _____, RK Asundi, KR Ramanathan, Vikram Sarabhai, CV Raman, Anna Mani, ______, ______, LA Ramdas, NK Panikkar,  A. Jayaraman

 Standing (middle row): MGK Menon, S Paramasivan, BN Sreenivasaiah, ______, _____, ______, GN Ramachandran, PR Pisharoty, T Radhakrishnan Menon,

MS Swaminathan, S Ramaseshan, BS Venkatachar

 Standing (top row): CNR Rao, C Ramaswamy, ______, Devendra Lal, R Ramanna, TV Desikachary, TS Sadasivan, ______, ______, SP Venkiteshwaran, S. Chandrasekhar.

Having, just written to Prof M S Swaminathan, I am awaiting his reply, hoping he will be able to identify the ‘missing names’ in ‘The Photograph’.

The credit for this amazing "SEARCH FOR THE NAMES OF THE SCIENTISTS - IN THIS RARE ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPH" should go where it is due. 

It was Prof Krishna P Kaliappan, Department of Chemistry, IIT Mumbai, who started it all, he is said to have “Whasapped” “The Photograph” to his colleagues at IIT Mumbai, in an email exchange, here is what he has to say, “Thanks a lot for sending the names of our icons.  I shared it with my colleagues. I thought it is important to collect such pictures and share it with next generation scientists”.

 

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WHAT IS HEARTENING TO NOTE IS THAT TWO OF THE SCIENTISTS IN THAT ICONIC 1968 PHOTOGRAPH ARE WITH US:

                                                            PROF C N R RAO

 

(1)   PROF C N R RAO, National Research Professor, Linus Pauling Research Professor and Honorary President, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, he will turn 86 in a week’s time from now. DOB: June 30, 1934.

And

 

Dr. M S SWAMINATHAN

(2)   Prof M S SWAMINATHAN, legendary Indian Geneticist and Founder M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, he will turn 95 in about six weeks from now. DOB: August 07, 1925.

 

 

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